Dural Venous Sinus Thrombosis: A Case Report

Dural Venous Sinus Thrombosis is the formation of blood clot within the cerebral sinus. It is very rare case with varying clinical presentation. It has non-specific signs and symptoms ranging from headache, papilledema, seizures, focal neurological deficits and mental state changes which is caused by genetic and acquired prothrombotic states, infections, inflammatory disease and trauma. Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Magnetic Resonance Venography is the specific imaging technique for the diagnosis. We have described a case of a patient who presented with headache over the temporal and occipital region and was disoriented. The Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Venography report revealed presence of thrombus in the transverse and sigmoid sinus with hemorrhagic infarcts. He was then treated with anticoagulants Low Molecular Weight Heparin which was further substituted by Warfarin.

Combined high-resolution 3D CUBE T1-weighted imaging and non-contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance venography for evaluation of vein stenosis in May–Thurner syndrome

Purpose To explore the feasibility of high-resolution MRI 3-dimensional (3D) CUBE T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in combination with non-contrast-enhanced (NCE) magnetic resonance venography (MRV) for the assessment of lumen stenosis in May–Thurner syndrome. Methods Twenty-nine patients underwent computed tomography venography (CTV) and high-resolution MRI-CUBE T1, and NCE MRV acquisitions. ANOVA and LSD tests were used to compare the stenosis rate and narrowest and distal diameters of the vessel lumen. Results There were no significant differences in the estimated stenosis rate between CTV, CUBE T1, and NCE MRV (p = 0.768). However, there were significant differences in the measured stenosis diameters of the left common iliac vein (LCIV), with CTV giving the largest mean diameter and CUBE had the smallest mean diameter (p < 0.05). The measured normal LCIV diameters did not significantly differ between MRV and CUBE (p = 0.075) but were significantly larger on CTV than on MRV and CUBE (p < 0.05). Conclusions Compared with CTV, a combination of CUBE and MRV could provide an improved assessment of the degree of lumen stenosis in May–Thurner syndrome and demonstrate acute thrombosis. MRI underestimates the diameter of the vessel in comparison with CTV. MRI can be a substitute tool for Duplex ultrasound and CTV.

Use of magnetic resonance venography for inferior petrosal sinus sampling

Background: Inferior petrosal sinus (IPS) sampling (IPSS) is a transvenous interventional procedure performed to diagnose Cushing’s disease. The reported IPSS failure rate is approximately 10% because IPS catheter delivery is conducted blindly and is challenging because of IPS anatomical variations. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of preprocedural magnetic resonance venography (MRV) for assessing IPS access routes before IPSS. Methods: Nineteen consecutive patients who underwent IPSS at a single university hospital in Japan were retrospectively studied. A preprocedural MRV protocol optimized to visualize the IPS before IPSS was established and utilized in the eight most recent cases. An IPSS procedure was considered successful when bilateral IPS catheterization was accomplished. Patient demographics, IPSS success rate, and radiation dose required during IPSS were compared between two groups: MRV group ( N = 8) and no-MRV group ( N = 11) before IPSS. Results: There were no significant differences in age, sex, and IPSS success rates between the groups. The average radiation dose was 663.6 ± 246.8 (SD) mGy and 981.7 ± 389.5 (SD) mGy in the MRV group and no-MRV group, respectively. Thus, there was a significant reduction in radiation exposure in the MRV group ( p = 0.044). Catheterization of the left IPS was unsuccessful in only one patient in the MRV group owing to IPS hypoplasty, as found on the MRV. Conclusions: Hypoplastic IPSs occur in patients and can complicate IPSS. Preprocedural MRV assessment is useful for understanding venous anatomy and preventing unnecessary intravenous catheter manipulation during IPSS, which involves blind manipulation around the IPS.